Prepping West Palm for the big blow, from sailing club to construction sites

Staff Writer

Tuesday

Oct 4, 2016 at 12:01 AMOct 4, 2016 at 4:07 PM

At the Bristol Tower site, construction was still under way on Tuesday morning. (Photo contributed by Carey O’Donnell)

With Hurricane Matthew’s projected path set to side-swipe us, concern is rising like a tide and hurricane preps are in motion throughout West Palm Beach.

City Administrator Jeff Green said Tuesday many staffers are in the field rather than hunkered down in the Emergency Operations Center at this point. They’re going to all construction sites to make sure they’re ready to be secured against high winds, and making sure that city emergency equipment is positioned where it will be needed.

The Bristol Tower site on South Flagler Drive, the piles of debris at the recently demolished Carefree Theater site on South Dixie Highway and the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches construction site on Haverhill Road all are areas where the city is alerting crews to be ready to secure anything that could become windborne, said Green and his Development Services director, Rick Greene.

“We’re fueling up, making sure cars are positioned where need to be and cleaning the grates to make sure water drains as quickly as possible,” the city administrator said.

At the Palm Beach Sailing Club, at 4600 N. Flagler Drive, Rear Commodore Richard Richardson said the club is alerting its 162 members to secure their boats and other loose equipment so it doesn’t damage their or anyone else’s property. New chains are being wrapped around the floating docks, the club’s inflatable tenders and small sailboats are being beached, and Sunfish cockpits are being filled with water to weigh them down.

Then the 80-year-old clubhouse, which has weathered many a storm, gets boarded up, he said. “Then we hoist a drink and hope for the best,” Richardson said.

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